Why Are dogs Aggressive?

September 7th, 2009 at 8:04pm

Dogs have developed an instinctual aggressive-it is a part of their very nature. Dogs are pack animals that have evolved with aggression in order to be able to hunt down their prey and defend themselves and their pack against predators. Of course the evolution of dogs necessitated their aggressive instincts, but in today’s world a dog with aggression problems must be controlled. If your dog is an aggressive one, knowing which reason causes your dog to be aggressive will help you figure out how to go about correcting his problem.

I have written a list of the six most common reasons behind a dog’s aggression.

Dominance Aggression: Upon meeting each other, two dogs will always sort out who is dominant. This is a type of behavior that was developed due to being pack animals, and for the harmony of the pack each dog must understand its place in the pack’s hierarchy. Normally, the dogs quickly agree on who is the boss dog, and go on with their business without any problems. It is when one of the dogs does not agree to be submissive that leads to the possibility of a dog fight ensuing.

Fear Aggression: The next type of aggression, fear aggression is caused by very different reasons than dominance aggression. When a dog is suffering strongly from fear aggression it is common for it to lash out at whatever is close by. One example would be of a dog who has suffered previous abuse by a human will sometimes show his fear aggression by being afraid of certain people. This type of aggression is easily recognizable-the fearful dog will display a cringing, slinking body language that includes tucking its tail up between the legs and up against its stomach. Be sure not to try to offer comfort to a dog in the throes of fear aggression, because they sometimes lash out and bite anything nearby-like your hand.

Territorial Aggression: Many dogs display this type of common aggressive behavior to some degree or another. This type of aggression originated when dogs needed to defend their families and their dens from predators-nowadays they want to protect your family and home instead. You must be sure your dog’s territorial instincts don’t get overly engaged or he may end up attacking a passerby or another dog. If you see signs of territorial aggression with your dog you should take steps to take control. The dog must learn to know to not let the barking turn into violence.

Redirected Aggression: Redirected aggression is a type of behavior that may seem confusing at first. An example would be two dogs that get so over excited by something on the other side of a door or fence that they can’t get at, that they snap at each other. Kind of like when sharks have a frenzy. Even thought the dogs were not usually enemies, the aggression got the better of them and they ended up going at each other.

Predatory Aggression: Predatory aggression is also something that is instinctive with dogs. You probably see examples of predatory aggression almost every day. When you see your dog chasing a cat or a bird you are seeing signs of predatory aggression. Often you’ll see a dog chase something without being serious about hurting it. If the chasing is more serious and not just for the thrill of the chase, your aggressive dog could cause serious damage, so be sure to correct this type of aggressive behavior.

Medical Reasons Causing Aggression: Female dogs that are either pregnant or have just recently given birth and are taking care of their puppies are often much more aggressive than usual. If your dog is not feeling good physically it could cause him to be easily irritated and more aggressive than usual.If your dog is suddenly acting aggressive although he usually isn’t that way, you should have him checked with the vet for a medical issue. Some dogs just have some bad wiring, and have no one obvious reason for their aggression. Just like some people we all have met, that’s just the way they are.

If you understand how to recognize and diagnose the reasons for your dog’s aggression problem, you can figure out the right method for correcting his aggressive behavior problem, and making him a better behaved pet who is much less likely to create any problems because of his aggression.

For more articles on dog aggression problem solving and tips on dog obedience training, please visit: BehaveDoggy.com.

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